Ocean City and the Delaware beaches: What's new for 2018?

Each winter, a bevy of new restaurants, attractions laws and, yes, sometimes phone apps come to Ocean City and the Delaware beaches.

This winter was no different, and a whole host of newcomers can be found at the local beaches.

Here's a look at some of the most significant new additions to come to the area.

New way to zoom at Frontier Town

The grassy mound and concrete water slide that used to greet visitors to the park is now gone.

In its place? Three 50-foot water slides.

All three slides will be accessible from the same platform, and sliders can race each other down. Two of the slides will require an inflatable tube. The third is a body slide.

A new Indian restaurant at the Delaware beaches

In Lewes, a yet-to-be-named Indian restaurant will be providing farm-to-table food to its patrons.

The restaurant is a culmination of Dr. Vinay Hosmane, an investor in the restaurant, being asked over and over again "Where can we get Indian food?" he said previously.

The restaurant will be housed in the purple-blotched Victorian on Savannah Road, but the restaurant investors are hoping to return the building to a more muted-blue color, restoring its original 1899 charm.

Dolle's expands to West Ocean City

A new Dolle's location has opened up in West Ocean City.

The newest location will be the company's largest retail store, said Anna Dolle Bushnell, a third-generation owner of Dolle's, in a previous interview.

The new location will allow visitors to watch some of Dolle's candy be made right before their very eyes, Bushnell said, and they hope it will not only be popular with visitors to the seaside resort but also with locals.

New parking system in Ocean City

Ocean City has a new way to make you pay when visiting the inlet and the Boardwalk area.

No longer is the gates and "pay and display" method of old. Now, there is a solar-powered kiosk where drivers can enter their car's licence plate information for authorities to scan.

The new kiosks have a full-color display screen with step-by-step instructions on how to feed the meter. Time can be extended at the kiosk by putting in the licence plate number.

Visitors can still pay by using their cellphone and the Parkmoible app, which will send text messages to remind users on when their parking time is about to expire.

West Ocean City restaurants expands for the locals

West Ocean City is expanding, and what was once a difficult place to keep a business open year-round is now an untapped market for business owners.

Tequila Mockingbird, a Mexican restaurant that first opened in north Ocean City, opened a location in West Ocean City in March.

Bad Monkey, located near the Route 90 bridge in Ocean City, also purchased a building in West Ocean City, and they plan on opening a new West Ocean City location soon.

Ocean City Fish Company has been replaced with MADFish Bar and Grill.

Iron Hill Rehoboth

Iron Hill, a popular brewery and restaurant with locations in Wilmington, New Jersey and Pennsylvania, will be opening its fourteenth location this Memorial Day weekend — to be located in Rehoboth Beach.

“We are excited because we have been looking for a while in Sussex County,” said Kevin Finn, president and CEO of Iron Hill, in a previous interview.

The quest for a southern Delaware location began long ago, Finn previously explained, because his father is a Lewes resident and has urged him to open the third restaurant in the coastal region of Sussex County.

Snowbirds to take to the sky in May

Visitors to Ocean City should cast their eyes skyward on May 23.

The Royal Canadian Air Force Snowbirds will be making their Ocean City debut, performing stunts similar to the US Navy's Blue Angles or the US Air Force's Thunderbirds.

The move to bring the Snowbirds in was unanimously approved by the Ocean City Town Council in February, who were excited about bringing a new event to the middle of the week before the summer tourist season ramps up after Memorial Day.

New law for motor vehicle events

Going to be participating in a motor vehicle event in Ocean City this summer? You might want to pay attention to this new law passed by the Maryland General Assembly.

The General Assembly passed and Gov. Larry Hogan signed into law an emergency bill that allows for the creation of special event zones in Worcester County, specifically targeted for events such as Cruisin', Bike Week and H2O International.

The special event zones will be treated similar to construction zones, where lower speed limits can be set and higher fines can be assessed.

Ocean City already has plans to use the special event zone for the spring Cruisin' event, to be deployed from May 15-20 — two days before the event starts through the last day of the event.

New Ocean City bus locator app

Although already unveiled in 2017 in time for New Year's Eve, Ocean City visitors will have an easier time tracking the bus this summer.

The TransLoc Rider app will give users real-time locations of buses — including being able to watch buses move in real-time and get an accurate prediction of when a bus will arrive to a user's exact position through the app's text messaging feature.

The app will also allow users to set favorite routes and get personal alerts. The town is hopeful the app will make transit "more accessible and convenient" for patrons.

It will be available for both Apple and Android devices.

The Pines Rehoboth Beach

Along Baltimore Avenue is The Pines, a new, modern coastal tavern.

Bob Suppies opened the restaurant with Tyler Townsend less than a year into Suppies' retirement. The restaurant will serve "chef-driven contemporary American" plates.

The restaurant will have a raw bar, hand-selected wine and craft beer, "crafty cocktails," local produce and "modern twists on classic tavern food," according to The Pines website, as well as gluten-free and vegetarian options.

A division in Ocean City

Separating parts of Coastal Highway in Ocean City will be a new median fence.

The fence, Ocean City officials have said, will hopefully usher in safer pedestrian conditions along a dangerous stretch of the highway.

The fence will run between 62nd Street and Convention Center Drive. Median roadway lighting has also been added between 62nd Street and Convention Center Drive.

Seafood restaurants make the switch to Mexican

Phillips' north Ocean City location is no more. In its place? Bayside Cantina.

The restaurant was rebranded during the spring and is serving Mexican cuisine with a bit of flourish: think chorizo-spiked queso, chipotle aioli and fat surf-and-turf burritos.

The Cracbake Factory's newest location, Loca Madre Tex Mex Kitchen, is located directly across the street from the original Crabcake Factory location. It is located in the Ocean City Square Shopping Center.

A new hotel on the Boardwalk

Although the new Hyatt Place Oceanfront on the Boardwalk isn't open yet, they are accepting reservations from July 15 onward.

Every room will have an ocean view balcony, according to their website, and will have an indoor and outdoor heated swimming pools.

America's diner opens up a second Ocean City location

A new Denny's has come in and will replace JR's Ribs on 62nd Street. The location will open May 14, according to Denny's officials.

A new place to dine in The Quiet Resort

Ropewalk is opening a new location in Bethany Beach.

The new location will be along Garfield Parkway. Ropewalk should be open by "late June," said Danielle Wicklin, general manager of the Bethany Beach location.

Other new restaurants

Dry 85 and Red Red Wine Bar, Ocean City, opened late 2017 

Station on Kings, Lewes, opened late 2017 

Albertino's, Ocean City, opened January 2018